Yasser Baghdady

Impact of Routine Cerebral CT Angiography on Treatment Decisions in Infective Endocarditis

Background Infective endocarditis (IE) is commonly complicated by cerebral embolization and hemorrhage secondary to intracranial mycotic aneurysms (ICMAs). These complications are associated with poor outcome and may require diagnostic and therapeutic plans to be modified. However, routine screening by brain CT and CT angiography (CTA) is not standard practice. We aimed to study the impact of routine cerebral CTA on treatment decisions for patients with IE. Methods From July 2007 to December 2012, we prospectively recruited 81 consecutive patients with definite left-sided IE according to modified Duke’s criteria. All patients had routine brain CTA conducted within one week of admission. All patients with ICMA underwent four-vessel conventional angiography. Invasive treatment was performed for ruptured aneurysms, aneurysms ≥5 mm, and persistent aneurysms despite appropriate therapy. Surgical clipping was performed for leaking aneurysms if not amenable to intervention. Results: The mean age was 30.43±8.8 years and 60.5% were males. Staph aureus was the most common organism (32.3%). Among the patients, 37% had underlying rheumatic heart disease, 26% had prosthetic valves, 23.5% developed IE on top of a structurally normal heart and 8.6% had underlying congenital heart disease. Brain CT/CTA revealed that 51 patients had evidence of cerebral embolization, of them 17 were clinically silent. Twenty-six patients (32%) had ICMA, of whom 15 were clinically silent. Among the patients with ICMAs, 11 underwent endovascular treatment and 2 underwent neurovascular surgery. The brain CTA findings prompted different treatment choices in 21 patients (25.6%). The choices were aneurysm treatment before cardiac surgery rather than at follow-up, valve replacement by biological valve instead of mechanical valve, and withholding anticoagulation in patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis for fear of aneurysm rupture. Conclusions Routine brain CT/CTA resulted in changes in the treatment plan in a significant proportion of patients with IE, even those without clinically evident neurological disease. Routine brain CT/CTA may be indicated in all hospitalized patients with IE.

Vascular endothelial growth factor in children with cyanotic and acyanotic and congenital heart disease

Introduction Vascular endothelial growth factor is a potent stimulator of angiogenesis. Children with cyanotic congenital heart disease often experience the development of widespread formation of collateral blood vessels, which may represent a form of abnormal angiogenesis resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. We undertook the present study to determine whether children with cyanotic congenital heart disease have elevated serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor compared to children with acyanotic heart disease. Material and methods Serum was obtained from 35 children with cyanotic congenital heart disease and 30 children with acyanotic heart disease. Vascular endothelial growth factor levels were measured in the serum of these patients by sandwich enzyme immunoassay. Results Vascular endothelial growth factor was significantly elevated in children with cyanotic congenital heart disease compared to children with acyanotic heart disease (150.3 ±48.1 vs. 85.4 ±18.7 pg/ml, respectively, p < 0.001). In the cyanotic group, oxygen saturation (SaO2) was negatively correlated with VEGF (r=–0.631, p < 0.001) while haemoglobin was positively correlated (r=0.781, p = 0.007). No significant correlations were found in the acyanotic group. Conclusions Children with cyanotic congenital heart disease have elevated systemic levels of vascular endothelial growth factor directly related to the degree of cyanosis (SaO2 and haemoglobin levels). These findings suggest that the widespread formation of collateral vessels in these children may be mediated by vascular endothelial growth factor.

Adult congenital heart disease registry at Cairo University: a report of the first 100 patients.

Aims: To establish a clinical registry for adult patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) managed in Cairo University Hospitals, aiming at description of the pattern and clinical profile of such patients. Methods: Patients were recruited from both Cardiovascular Medicine Department Outpatient Clinic and inpatient wards of Cairo University Hospitals. Clinical data were collected from hospital records and directly from patients by treating cardiologists. Collected data were then registered in a dedicated database system and subsequently analyzed. Results: Patients (49% males) ranged in age from 16 to 63 years, with a median of 25 years. Fifty-one patients were in the age-group from 20 to 30 years, with only 9% aged 50 years or older. Seventy-eight patients had acyanotic lesions, with atrial septal defect being the most common primary diagnosis (20% of total lesions). The remaining 22 patients had cyanotic heart disease, with tetralogy of Fallot being the predominant diagnosis (45% of cyanotic lesions). Six patients presented with infective endocarditis in the setting of CHD. Four women (8% of females) presented during pregnancy. Forty-six patients were sent for surgical correction/repair, while percutaneous intervention was planned in 20 patients. Conclusions: A new registry of adult patients with CHD managed in Cairo University Hospitals provides useful information, including the extent to which congenital heart defects are underdiagnosed and undertreated during infancy and childhood. In addition, those who were previously treated early in life require long-term follow-up in specialized centers. Establishment of a multidisciplinary team with expert physicians (cardiologists, dentists, obstetricians, and psychiatrists), cardiac surgeons, and nurses may be facilitated by development of a dedicated database system. Continuous financial support is a major challenge.

Myocardial performance index after surgical correction of ventricular septal defects.

Introduction The myocardial performance index (MPI) has been described as a non-invasive Doppler measurement of ventricular function. The aim of this study was to assess MPI following surgical correction of ventricular septal defect (VSD) and to evaluate its impact on postoperative recovery. Material and methods This is a prospective study involving 30 children (16 girls and 14 boys) operated on for VSD (group I). The control group (group II) consisted of 30 healthy children (age and sex matched). Results We found that both the right and left ventricular (RV and LV) MPI correlated significantly with the ejection fraction (EF) (r = –0.49, p = 0.006, r = –0.51, p = 0.004, respectively). The LV EF and the LV FS were negatively correlated, while the left and right ventricular MPI was positively correlated with the: LVEDD (p = 0.000), the VSD size (p = 0.000), and the postoperative course of the patients in terms of the duration of ventilation (p = 0.000), the duration of use of inotropics (p = 0.000) and the duration of staying in the ICU (p = 0.000). By linear regression, the factors that correlated with the postoperative course of VSD surgery were the RV MPI pre-surgery, MPI 2 days after surgery and the ejection fraction (p = 0.000). Conclusions Myocardial performance index is a useful index for measurement of the left and right ventricular function. It correlates significantly with the ejection fraction, fractional shortening, VSD size, and the left ventricular size. It also significantly predicts the outcome of VSD surgery.

Interictal cardiac repolarization abnormalities in people with epilepsy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The occurrence of cardiac electrical abnormalities such as repolarization disorders in patients with epilepsy was previously documented and may, in part, clarify the mechanism of sudden unexpected death in those patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of cardiac repolarization disorders among patients with epilepsy and whether specific demographic- or disease-related features were associated with their occurrence. SUBJECTS AND METHODS This cross-sectional study was carried out on 1000 subjects with epilepsy who were compared with age- and sex-matched 2500 subjects without epilepsy. Clinical assessment, which included careful history taking and examination, was carried out for all participants in addition to resting 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) recording. Electrocardiograms were reviewed by experienced cardiologists. Electrocardiogram intervals were measured, and morphological abnormalities were identified using standard guidelines. RESULTS Repolarization abnormalities were found in 142 (14.2%) patients with epilepsy. A statistically significant elevation in percentage of corrected QT interval (QTc) prolongation (both severe and borderline) among patients with epilepsy compared with controls was documented (8.4% vs 2%, P<0.001). Epilepsy increased the likelihood of hosting prolonged QTc more than 4 times (95% confidence interval: 3.175-6.515; odds ratio: 4.548; P<0.001). Affected patients were significantly older (95% confidence interval: 1.012-1.044; odds ratio: 1.027; P=0.001), and the abnormality was significantly more prevalent among those with poor seizure control (95% confidence interval: 1.103-2.966; odds ratio: 1.809; P=0.019). On the other hand, early repolarization (ER) pattern and Brugada type ECG pattern (BP) were significantly more prevalent in subjects without epilepsy. CONCLUSIONS Corrected QT interval prolongation (both severe and borderline) was more prevalent among patients with epilepsy, especially if uncontrolled or elderly. Electrocardiogram should be established as a part of the diagnostic workup of epilepsy in order to identify such electrocardiographic abnormality.

The value of three Dimensional echocardiography study of left ventricle function correlated to coronary arterial dominance in predicting the outcome of Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background Limited information is available regarding the relationship between coronary vessel dominance and outcome after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Objectives The study was designed to evaluate the prognostic value of coronary arterial dominance after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) during hospital stay and at 3 months follow-up regarding cardiac mortality, heart failure, nonfatal myocardial infarction, revascularization, and stroke. Patients and methods The study population consisted of 300 consecutive patients (mean age, 57.35 ± 13.41 years; 91% men) with STEMI who were admitted to Dallah Hospital (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) from January 2015 to December 2016. These patients underwent successful primary PCI with thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) III flow. They were divided into three groups according to angiographic coronary dominance: 227 (75.7%) in the right coronary dominant group, 40 (13.3%) in the left coronary dominant group, and 33 (11%) in the balanced coronary dominant group. They were evaluated with two- (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography within 48 hours of admission and at 3 months follow-up after STEMI. Results Right dominance was present in 75.6%, left dominance in 13.3%, and balanced dominance was present in 11% of patients. The main finding of this study was that a left dominant system was associated with increased risk of cardiac mortality, heart failure, nonfatal myocardial infarction, revascularization, and stroke shortly after primary PCI, during hospital stay, and at 3 months follow-up after STEMI. Moreover, a significantly lower left ventricular ejection fraction at admission was observed by both 2D and 3D echocardiography in patients with a left dominant system. Conclusion In patients with STEMI treated with primary PCI, left coronary artery dominance confers a higher risk of various adverse clinical events after primary PCI, during hospital stay, and at 3 months follow-up compared to right and balanced coronary artery dominance.